Pluto0809
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 25, 2012
Venturing Off Disney Property
On Thursday, October 25, 2018 we ventured off Disney property to head to Sea World for the day. The park didn’t open until 10 am so once again we had a bit of a lazy morning. Mom and I were up and out the door a little after 8 am so we could head to the food court for breakfast. The sky was really cool that morning with the moon still hanging above the building across from us so I tried to get some pictures.
I also took some pictures of our view from the third floor.
For breakfast, I went with my old favorite, Mickey waffles!
I’m not a big fan of breakfast meats so I got a side of eggs instead of bacon or sausage.
John and Jocelyn meet us at our usual bench around 9 am and we headed outside to call an Uber. Within a few minutes, our car pulled up and we were on our way to Sea World. Our driver was a pleasant young lady and we were walking to the entrance of the park around 9:40 am. I don’t know how much the Uber cost because John and Jocelyn paid but I don’t think it was a whole lot. Sea World was only 10 miles from our resort when I mapped it out.
We waited outside the entrance for a bit and then once they let us in, we were held near the Manta coaster until 10 am. There were some pretty flamingos there to help us pass the time.
Once the park officially opened, Jocelyn and I headed into the line for the Manta. This coaster is one where you dangle below the tracks “flying” like Superman or I guess a Manta in this case. When you board the coaster you are seated normally but then the seats pull backwards until you end up facing the ground. We rode a similar coaster with Mom, John and Jocelyn at a different park a few summers ago and both Mom and John had hated that coaster so they decided to sit this one out. There was no line at all and before long we were flying along.
When I visited Sea World in 2015 I really enjoyed this coaster. This time I found it much rougher even though it was still pretty fun. I just think I’m starting to get a bit too old for the bigger coasters. Jocelyn really loved it though.
Next we headed to ride Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin. This is a trackless ride that takes you through the life of a Penguin. It starts off with a short film….
And then you choose whether you want a “mild” ride or a “wild” one. In 2015 I went with the mild version which did not have any spinning because I was worried about getting sick. But while we were riding back then, I watched the wild cars and it did not seem too bad at all. So this time we went with the wild version and I was right, it wasn’t bad. Our car rocked around a bit more and did do some spinning but it didn’t trigger even a tiny bit of motion sickness for me.
The ride is cute but pretty short and its whole purpose it to stagger the number of people who enter the penguin exhibit which is at the end of the ride. The penguin area is open air and it was freezing and stinky in there. We stayed just long enough to watch the penguins a bit and take some pictures.
By the time we finished up with the Penguins, it was about 15 minutes till the next Dolphin Days show. We headed there and ended up getting pretty decent seats towards the middle. They would have been perfect it if wasn’t for the pole.
And here’s my pictures from the show.
Overall, the show was pretty cute but it was a bit of a letdown for me at least compared to the show I saw in 2015. The 2015 version was much more theatrical with high divers and other acrobatics while the 2018 version was pretty much a show case of the dolphins doing tricks. Like I said, not a bad show, just very different from the version I had loved back in 2015.
Our next stop after Dolphin Days was the Kraken coaster. I got really sick riding this one in 2015 so I decided to sit out with Mom while John and Jocelyn rode. Mom had decided not to ride the coasters at Sea World because they were a bit much for her. We found a nice seat in the shade and people watched while we waited.
After they finished (they both liked the coaster), we were all getting hungry so we decided to check out the Jewel of the Sea Aquarium that was right there and then head to find something to eat.
The Jewel of the Sea Aquarium was very small, only one room and I think its main purpose was to draw people into the gift shop that you had to walk through to exit.
It’s kind of hard to tell in this next photo but there was actually a tank in the floor and you could walk over top of it while fish swam below.
After the aquarium we looked over the food options and ended up heading to The Spice Mill for lunch because the menu appealed to all of us. The restaurant was not crowded at all and we were able to get our food quickly. Three of us ended up getting the Sustainable Fish Sandwich which came with fries. I have no idea what the fourth member of our party got.
The Spice Mill was cafeteria style and of course I couldn’t resist the desserts as I slide my tray by. I grabbed some chocolate chip cookies too.
I wasn’t expecting much from the meal because the barbecue place Jim and I ate at in 2015 was kind of nasty. But I was pleasantly surprised by the fish sandwich, it was pretty good. It was also huge and filling and I ended up eating the fish and leaving a lot of the bun behind. The cookies were also good but I was only able to eat one because I was full from the fish sandwich. I tucked the other two into my bag to enjoy at a later time.
Up Next: Silly Sea Lions and Scary Sharks
On Thursday, October 25, 2018 we ventured off Disney property to head to Sea World for the day. The park didn’t open until 10 am so once again we had a bit of a lazy morning. Mom and I were up and out the door a little after 8 am so we could head to the food court for breakfast. The sky was really cool that morning with the moon still hanging above the building across from us so I tried to get some pictures.
I also took some pictures of our view from the third floor.
For breakfast, I went with my old favorite, Mickey waffles!
I’m not a big fan of breakfast meats so I got a side of eggs instead of bacon or sausage.
John and Jocelyn meet us at our usual bench around 9 am and we headed outside to call an Uber. Within a few minutes, our car pulled up and we were on our way to Sea World. Our driver was a pleasant young lady and we were walking to the entrance of the park around 9:40 am. I don’t know how much the Uber cost because John and Jocelyn paid but I don’t think it was a whole lot. Sea World was only 10 miles from our resort when I mapped it out.
We waited outside the entrance for a bit and then once they let us in, we were held near the Manta coaster until 10 am. There were some pretty flamingos there to help us pass the time.
Once the park officially opened, Jocelyn and I headed into the line for the Manta. This coaster is one where you dangle below the tracks “flying” like Superman or I guess a Manta in this case. When you board the coaster you are seated normally but then the seats pull backwards until you end up facing the ground. We rode a similar coaster with Mom, John and Jocelyn at a different park a few summers ago and both Mom and John had hated that coaster so they decided to sit this one out. There was no line at all and before long we were flying along.
When I visited Sea World in 2015 I really enjoyed this coaster. This time I found it much rougher even though it was still pretty fun. I just think I’m starting to get a bit too old for the bigger coasters. Jocelyn really loved it though.
Next we headed to ride Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin. This is a trackless ride that takes you through the life of a Penguin. It starts off with a short film….
And then you choose whether you want a “mild” ride or a “wild” one. In 2015 I went with the mild version which did not have any spinning because I was worried about getting sick. But while we were riding back then, I watched the wild cars and it did not seem too bad at all. So this time we went with the wild version and I was right, it wasn’t bad. Our car rocked around a bit more and did do some spinning but it didn’t trigger even a tiny bit of motion sickness for me.
The ride is cute but pretty short and its whole purpose it to stagger the number of people who enter the penguin exhibit which is at the end of the ride. The penguin area is open air and it was freezing and stinky in there. We stayed just long enough to watch the penguins a bit and take some pictures.
By the time we finished up with the Penguins, it was about 15 minutes till the next Dolphin Days show. We headed there and ended up getting pretty decent seats towards the middle. They would have been perfect it if wasn’t for the pole.
And here’s my pictures from the show.
Overall, the show was pretty cute but it was a bit of a letdown for me at least compared to the show I saw in 2015. The 2015 version was much more theatrical with high divers and other acrobatics while the 2018 version was pretty much a show case of the dolphins doing tricks. Like I said, not a bad show, just very different from the version I had loved back in 2015.
Our next stop after Dolphin Days was the Kraken coaster. I got really sick riding this one in 2015 so I decided to sit out with Mom while John and Jocelyn rode. Mom had decided not to ride the coasters at Sea World because they were a bit much for her. We found a nice seat in the shade and people watched while we waited.
After they finished (they both liked the coaster), we were all getting hungry so we decided to check out the Jewel of the Sea Aquarium that was right there and then head to find something to eat.
The Jewel of the Sea Aquarium was very small, only one room and I think its main purpose was to draw people into the gift shop that you had to walk through to exit.
It’s kind of hard to tell in this next photo but there was actually a tank in the floor and you could walk over top of it while fish swam below.
After the aquarium we looked over the food options and ended up heading to The Spice Mill for lunch because the menu appealed to all of us. The restaurant was not crowded at all and we were able to get our food quickly. Three of us ended up getting the Sustainable Fish Sandwich which came with fries. I have no idea what the fourth member of our party got.
The Spice Mill was cafeteria style and of course I couldn’t resist the desserts as I slide my tray by. I grabbed some chocolate chip cookies too.
I wasn’t expecting much from the meal because the barbecue place Jim and I ate at in 2015 was kind of nasty. But I was pleasantly surprised by the fish sandwich, it was pretty good. It was also huge and filling and I ended up eating the fish and leaving a lot of the bun behind. The cookies were also good but I was only able to eat one because I was full from the fish sandwich. I tucked the other two into my bag to enjoy at a later time.
Up Next: Silly Sea Lions and Scary Sharks
